U.S. patent number 7,632,402 [Application Number 12/079,543] was granted by the patent office on 2009-12-15 for control system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to King Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeffrey D. Johnson, Joseph A. King.
United States Patent |
7,632,402 |
King , et al. |
December 15, 2009 |
Control system
Abstract
An apparatus and method for controlling a water characteristic
of a body of water by controlling the cyclic release of a water
characteristic material into the body of water with or without the
system being responsive to a level of the water characteristic in
the body of water with the system capable of being controlled from
a display or from a wireless control module or both.
Inventors: |
King; Joseph A. (Wayzata,
MN), Johnson; Jeffrey D. (Minneapolis, MN) |
Assignee: |
King Technology, Inc. (Hopkins,
MN)
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Family
ID: |
39673443 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/079,543 |
Filed: |
March 27, 2008 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20080290039 A1 |
Nov 27, 2008 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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12069237 |
Feb 9, 2008 |
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11805527 |
May 23, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
210/167.11;
210/138; 210/143; 210/206 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C02F
1/008 (20130101); E04H 4/1281 (20130101); C02F
1/505 (20130101); C02F 1/66 (20130101); C02F
1/685 (20130101); C02F 1/688 (20130101); C02F
1/76 (20130101); C02F 2209/008 (20130101); C02F
2209/06 (20130101); C02F 2209/40 (20130101); C02F
2209/44 (20130101); C02F 2303/04 (20130101); C02F
2103/42 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
4/12 (20060101); C02F 1/76 (20060101); E04H
4/14 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;210/138,143,167.1,167.11,198.1,206,139,140 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Prince; Fred
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jacobson & Johnson
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser.
No. 11/805,527 filed May 23, 2007, pending, Titled Control System
and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/069,237 filed Feb. 9, 2008,
pending.
Claims
We claim:
1. A system for cyclical control of a water characteristic in a
body of water without a sensor comprising: a time-based cyclic
controller responsive to a display, said cyclic controller having a
fixed time period during which the cyclic controller repeatedly
generates a duty cycle as a portion of a cyclic output signal
having a first signal and a second signal with the first signal
different than the second signal; a display switch for an operator
to manually set the duty cycle wherein said duty cycle is
maintained until manually reset by the operator, said display
switch comprising a manual operator control wherein the cyclic
controller is integrated to a spa control system with the cyclic
controller responsive to the manual operator control in a spa
display pad; and a valve responsive to the first signal and the
second signal to periodically deliver a water characteristic
affecting material into a body of water in response to the duty
cycle to thereby either maintain or change the water characteristic
of the body of water.
2. The system of claim 1 including an outlet and a dispenser for
holding the water characteristic affecting material with the first
signal opening the valve to allow water to flow through the water
characteristic material and the second signal closing the valve to
direct water into the body of water while preventing water from
flowing through the water characteristic affecting material.
3. The system of claim 1 including a flow adjustable cartridge
containing the water characteristic affecting material wherein the
water characteristic affecting material comprises a pH adjuster and
the display includes a viewing screen providing information on
either a boost condition, a sanitizer condition or a mineral
condition.
4. The system of claim 1 including a dispenser for holding the
water characteristic affecting material with the first signal
opening the dispenser to release the water characteristic affecting
material into the body of water and the second signal closing the
dispenser to prevent release of the water characteristic affecting
material into the body of water wherein the display includes a
viewing screen for showing a length of the duty cycle.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the system includes at least two
control modules with one of the least two control modules mounted
as part of a spa display and another of the at least two control
modules in wireless communication with the system.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the valve is a solenoid valve that
opens in response to the first signal and closes in response to the
second signal and each of the control modules include a viewing
screen.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the display includes an override
for overriding the cyclic output signal to thereby dispense the
water characteristic affecting material independent of the duty
cycle of the system.
8. The system of claim 7 including a jet pump wherein the
controller monitors the operating time of the jet pump to initiate
a boost cycle when an operating time of the jet pump has exceeded a
preset time.
9. The system of claim 1 including a flow adjustable dispenser
having flow adjustable ports with the flow adjustable dispenser
holding the water characteristic affecting material and the water
characteristic affecting material comprises a halogen and the
control of the release of the water characteristic affecting
material is based solely on the cycling of the valve from an open
condition to a closed condition.
10. The system of claim 1 including a control module incorporated
as part of the display with a face of the display having a viewing
screen proximate the display switch with the display switch
operable to change a mode of the viewing screen, a power source for
the cyclic controller and the body of water is in a spa.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the system comprises a spa
control system that includes at least two control modules with one
of the least two control modules mounted as part of a spa display
and another of the at least two control modules in wireless
communication with the control system.
12. The spa control system of claim 11 wherein each of the at least
two control modules each include a visual display and each of the
control modules displays the same information.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to control systems and, more
specifically, a control system having control modules to adjust the
water characteristics of a body of water with or without ongoing
feedback of the water characteristics of the body of water.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
None
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
None
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Contained bodies of water where a person immerses himself or
herself partly or wholly in the body of water can be found in
swimming pools, spas, hot tubs, jetted tubs as well as other
containers. Generally, the person immerses his or her body
partially or wholly in the body of water in order to obtain the
effects of the water. In order to make the body of water safe for
human contact it is necessary to kill harmful microorganisms in the
water, such as bacteria, which can be done by dispensing
antibacterial materials into the water. These types of water
characteristics can be referred to as water safety characteristics.
In addition, from time to time other water characteristics of the
body of water, such as water comfort characteristics are adjusted.
For example, the water temperature may be changed or in some cases
the pH of the water may be adjusted sometimes both for safety
purposes and for the comfort of the water user.
In some types of systems at least one pump continually circulates
the water in a container so as to provide a body of water with
uniform water characteristics as well as to remove unwanted
materials or debris from the water. During the circulation of the
water dispensable materials, such as minerals or other ion yielding
materials, can be controllable dispensed into the water through
either inline dispensers or floating dispensers to control the
microorganisms in the water. Other water characteristics such as
water temperature can be controlled by a heating or cooling the
water as it flows through a heat transfer unit. In either case the
water characteristics whether safety or comfort characteristics can
be changed to make the water suitable and safe for the user.
Water characteristics in the containers have been controlled by
continually circulating water through the dispensable materials
that are located in a dispenser. In these systems one controls the
level of dispensable materials in the body of water by continually
circulating the water through the dispenser with the size and
number of openings in the dispenser limiting the amount of
dispensable material released by limiting the rate of water flow
flowing through the dispenser. One such system is shown in King
Technology U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,615. Generally, the incremental
control of the dispensing rates is determined by the number and the
size of openings in the dispenser. Another type of disinfectant
control is an activity-enhanced dispenser wherein an enhanced
dispensing rate is obtained by the activity in the body of water.
One such system is shown in King Technology, Inc. U.S. Pat. No.
7,147,770.
Still other dispensing systems such as on-demand systems dispense
materials, such as chlorine, directly into the body of water when
the level of dispensable material falls below an acceptable level.
One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,154. If the
chlorine level in the pool drops below a minimum level a solenoid
valve is actuated for a short period of time followed by a longer
non-dispensing period of time to permit the dispensed material to
disperse throughout the pool. Once the level of chlorine reaches
the proper level the dispensing of chlorine to the swimming pool
ceases.
The invention herein described can be used with or without a sensor
and is well suited for general use as well as for small
recreational water systems such as found in swimming pools, spas,
hot tubs or the like either as original equipment or as an after
market item. The invention described herein is suitable for use in
conjunction with flow area adjustable dispensers to provide greater
incremental dispensing control as well as more precisely control
the release of dispensable materials to better maintain the proper
level of dispensable materials in the body of water.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A control system comprising a time based controller operating on a
cycle with a fixed period wherein the time-based controller
regularly cycles a valve between a first condition and a second
condition with the first condition dispensing a water
characteristic affecting material and the second condition reducing
or preventing the dispensing of the water characteristic affecting
material. The invention also includes a method of controlling or
setting a level of a safety or comfort characteristic of a body of
water by circulating water to and from a body of water through a
valve and a dispensable material and selecting a portion of the
dispensing cycle period that a valve should be in a first open
condition and a further portion of the dispensing cycle the valve
should be in a second condition to direct less water or no water
through the dispenser and repeating the opening and closing of the
valve during a subsequent dispensing cycle to maintain the water
safety or water comfort characteristics of the body of water at an
effective level with or without the aid of a sensor to control the
level of the dispensable material. The invention also includes the
method of maintaining a water characteristic in a body of water,
such as a spa, over a period of time by dispensing a water
characteristic affecting material into the body of water and
regularly interrupting the dispensing of the water characteristic
affecting material into the body of water during the period of time
to thereby maintain the water characteristic of the body of water
by limiting when an amount of the water characteristic affecting
material is dispensed into the body of water during the period of
time. The control system further includes a boost function that can
be manually or automatically engaged when the level of dispensable
materials available for safety or comfort control falls below a
desired level from an indicator of a non water characteristic of
the body of water. A further feature of the invention is a control
system that is responsive to input from control modules that
include either a stand-alone display or to an input from an
integrated container control system. Another feature of the
invention is the use of a plurality of control modules wherein at
least one of the dual control modules is a wireless dual control
module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partial cutaway view of a container having the control
system of the present invention;
FIG. 1A is a partial cutaway view of the dispenser in the control
system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 2 is diagram of a cycle of the control system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic of a control system with an override;
FIG. 4 is diagram of a control system with a stand-alone display
and a valve that opens and closes a pipeline to a sanitizing
dispenser;
FIG. 5 is a top view of a spa partially in section revealing the
control system with a display integrated with the display of the
sap; and
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a control system with a stand-alone display
and a valve that opens a container carrying a water characteristic
material; and
FIG. 7 is shows a dual mode spa control system with a first control
module hard wired into the control system and a second remote
control module in wireless or RF communication with the control
system.
FIG. 8 shows a control module in a first mode;
FIG. 9 shows the control module of FIG. 8 in a second mode; and
FIG. 10 shows the control module of FIG. 8 in a third mode.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a partial cutaway view of a system 10, such as a hot
tub or spa, with a container 11 having a water circulation system
including a circulation pump 15, an inlet 14, an inlet line 14a, an
outlet line 16 that circulates fluid to and from the body of water
12 in container 11 through a valve 17, a dispenser 19 and a return
line 21 that discharges the water with a water characteristic
affecting material such as a dispensable material therein. A second
pump 35 circulates water from the body of water 12 through an inlet
water line 37 and discharges the water under pressure through a
nozzle 36a. The control system 10 includes a time-based controller
13 and an electrically controlled valve 17 that can be open or
closed by an electrical signal. The time-based controller 13
operates on a regular cycle with a fixed time period wherein the
time-based controller 13 repeatedly cycles the valve 17 between a
first condition and a second condition. In the first condition
water flows through a dispensable material during a first portion
of the cycle and the second condition either a water flow lesser
than in the first condition or no water flows through the
dispensable material during the remaining portion of the cycle.
In the event the valve 17 is in a closed condition the pump 14
directs the water back into the body of water 12 through an
underwater side discharge outlet 16a to thereby provide continued
circulation of the body of water. By dispensing the dispensable
material such as a halogen or silver chloride (not shown) located
in the dispenser, which is shown in FIG. 1 to be a dispenser
cartridge 20, into the circulating water one can bring the
dispensable material in the dispenser 19 into the body of water 12
without having a dispenser in the body of water 12. A filter, (not
shown), removes any debris from the water during the circulation
process. This type of circulation system, while useable with all
types of bodies of waters are particularly well suited for use with
recreational bodies of water that are found in swimming pools,
spas, hot tubs or other types of jetted tubs which humans immerse
themselves partially or wholly therein.
FIG. 1A is a sectional view of dispenser 20 partially in section to
reveal the dispensable material or water characteristic affecting
material 18 located therein. Apertures 20 which can be opened or
closed allow for limiting the flow of water into the dispenser
20.
The control system 30 is outlined in dashed lines in FIG. 1 and
includes a controller 13 and a solenoid valve 17 that repeatedly
receives a signal through line 17a to either open or close valve
17. When valve 17 is in a completely closed condition water is
diverted away from dispenser 20 and flows through outlet 16a back
into the body of water 12. When the valve 17 is in the open
condition water flows through valve 17 and the dispensable material
in dispenser cartridge 20 to dispense the dispensable materials
into the body of water through the water line 21. Cycling the valve
17 between an open condition (for a first portion of a dispensing
cycle) and a second condition (during a further portion of the
dispensing cycle) where the valve 17 is completely closed is a
preferred cycle. However, one can also cycle the valve 17 between
an open condition and a second condition where the valve 17 is in
partially closed condition thereby reducing the flow rate through
the dispenser for the further portion of the cycle. It should be
understood that the term valve herein is a device that one can use
to control the flow of water into the dispenser 19. Controller 13
is a pulse width modulation system wherein the width of the output
signal is varied to vary the duty cycle.
As pointed out in the background a number of existing systems
control the level of dispensable materials in a body of water by
continually circulating the water through a dispenser wherein the
dispenser flow area limits the amount of dispensable material
released. This is done by controlling the size or number of
openings in the dispenser which in turn limits the amount of water
flowing through the dispenser. Such systems are shown in King
Technology U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,052,615 and 7,014,780.
Still other dispensing systems use sensors to control the
dispensing of materials directly into the body of water when the
level of dispensable material falls below an acceptable level. One
such sensor driven dispensing system is shown in U.S. Pat. No.
4,224,154 wherein a sensor detects if the chlorine level is below a
minimum level. If the chlorine is below a minimum level a solenoid
valve is actuated for a short period of time followed by a longer
non-dispensing period of time to permit the dispensed material to
disperse throughout the pool before the chlorine level is checked
again.
In contrast to the sensor driven on demand dispensing systems the
invention herein can eliminate the need for a sensor to sense the
level of dispensable material in the water yet the invention can
still provide accurate control of the release of dispensed
materials.
FIG. 1 shows control system 10 includes a time based controller 13
and an electrically controlled solenoid valve 17 wherein the
time-based controller repeatedly generates a signal that has a
fixed period that cycles the valve 17 between a first condition and
a second condition. During a first portion of a flow cycle the
valve 17 directs water through a dispensable material and the
remaining portion of the flow cycle the valve directs no water
through the dispensable material. As an alternate to complete shut
off of flow of water in the latter portion of the cycle one could
direct some flow through the second portion of the cycle but less
flow than through the first portion of the flow cycle. A reference
to FIG. 2 illustrates a repeated on off cycle for dispensing
materials wherein the system repeatedly goes from a flow condition
to a non flow condition. That is, during a flow cycle the valve 17
goes from an open condition having flow rate Q.sub.1 where water
flows through the dispensable material to a closed condition having
flow rate Q.sub.0 where there is no water flow through the
dispensable material. Once the period P is completed the flow cycle
repeats itself. That is, at time T.sub.1 the system completes one
cycle and at time T.sub.2 the system completes a second cycle and
so on. By continually repeating the opening and closing of the
valve 17 based solely on elapsed time one can maintain the safety
or comfort characteristics of the body of water at an effective
level without the aid of feedback from sensors. However, if desired
sensors with feedback can also be used in conjunction with the
present control system. Thus, instead of gradually increasing or
decreasing a continuous flow rate through the dispenser 20 to
obtain the proper amount of dispensable materials in the body of
water the present invention permits one to control the time and the
amount of water that can flow through the dispensable materials to
obtain the proper amount of dispensable materials in the body of
water.
The method of the invention includes controlling a level of a
safety or a comfort characteristic of a body of water by
circulating water to and from a body of water 12 through a valve 17
and a dispenser 19 by selecting a period P for a flow cycle or
dispensing cycle, then selecting a portion of the dispensing cycle
period that valve 17 should be in an open condition "t" and a
remaining portion "t.sub.0" of the dispensing cycle period where
the valve 17 should be in a second condition of lesser flow or a no
flow condition. FIG. 2 illustrates that, during a cycle the valve
17 goes from an open condition Q.sub.1 where water flows through
the dispensable material to a closed condition Q.sub.0 where there
is no water flow through the dispensable material in dispenser
cartridge 20. Once the period P is completed the dispensing cycle
repeats itself. That is, at time T.sub.1 the system 10 completes
one cycle and at time T.sub.2 the system completes a second cycle
and so on. By continually repeating the opening and closing of the
valve 17 based solely on elapsed time one can maintain the safety
or comfort characteristics of the body of water at an effective
level without the use of a sensor to provide feedback. Although if
one so desired a sensor providing feedback can be used with the
present method. In addition the method can include the step of
changing the portion of the dispensing cycle in the open condition
and correspondingly changing the remaining portion of cycle in the
closed condition to change the amount of dispensable material
deliverable to the body of water without changing the period of the
dispensing cycle. Also the step of changing the portion of the
dispensing cycle in the open condition and correspondingly changing
the remaining portion of cycle in the closed condition can be done
on the go. The method can further include the step of changing a
rate of dispensing materials from the dispenser by changing the
flow area on a flow area controllable dispenser by changing a port
size in the flow area controllable dispenser.
FIG. 1 shows the system can be used with circulation lines having a
flow adjustable cartridge dispenser or cartridge 20 having flow
adjustable ports 20a located in dispenser 19 or by having the
dispensable material located in dispenser 19 without a cartridge 20
to hold the dispensable materials. When the system is used with a
flow adjustable cartridge dispenser 20 the user can select a
dispenser flow area by adjusting the open area of the ports 20a in
the cartridge dispenser 20 based on the use of the body of water.
For example, if two people use the spa three times a week it would
require one port setting and if three people use the spa everyday
it would require a different port setting. To set the cartridge
dispenser to the proper flow area one generally removes cap 19a and
the cartridge dispenser 20 from the dispenser 19 to adjust the flow
openings. Generally, in these types of systems the water is
continually circulated through the dispensable material and the
flow area of ports 20a of the dispenser cartridge 20 can be changed
to provide precise control.
The time-based system 10 with controller 13 can be used directly
with the flow adjustable cartridge dispensers 20. In this type of
control system wherein the time-based controller has a fixed period
the time based controller 13 regularly cycles the valve 17 between
a first condition and a second condition with the first portion of
the cycle directing a first flow of water through a dispensable
material and the remaining portion of the cycle directing a lesser
flow of water or no water through the dispensable material. While
FIG. 1 shows the circulation system located external to the body of
water, if desired, the circulation system can be immersed directly
in the body of water 12.
FIG. 2 illustrates a specific type of operation where the
controller 13 is on for a time "t.sub.1" and off for a time
"t.sub.0" during a time period P that typically lasts an hour or
less. As can be seen in FIG. 2 the on off cycle repeats itself at
regular intervals (T.sub.1, T.sub.2, T.sub.3). The time "t" is on
the horizontal axis and the amount of flow Q through the
dispensable material is on the vertical axis. The cycle length is
indicated by P and the fractional portion of the cycle length P
wherein the flow is on is indicated by t and the remaining
fractional portion of the cycle length P wherein no flow occurs is
indicated by t.sub.0. The on off cycle occurs during an elapsed
time T and then the cycle repeats itself during a subsequent
identical elapsed T. The time that the flow condition Q.sub.1
occurs can be expressed as a percent of the total time for a cycle.
For example, if the flow condition Q.sub.1 is on for 10 minutes of
a 50-minute cycle and off the remaining portion of the 50-minute
cycle the on percentage would be 20% and the off percent would be
80%. The time period T.sub.1 is followed by an identical time
period T.sub.2 which is then followed by identical time period
T.sub.3 and so on. Using the above example, during each time period
the percentage where flow would be on is the same, namely, 20%. As
a result the flow through the dispensable material in the dispenser
19 occurs at selected times during each period P. By adjusting the
fractional amount of on time during a cycle one can intermittently
deliver the dispensable materials to the body of water and can more
accurately maintain the body of water with the proper amount of
dispensable material. As a result dispensable material in dispenser
19 is periodically dispensed into the body of water 12 by the water
periodically flowing through the dispenser 19 rather than being
continually dispensed into the body of water by water continually
flowing through the dispenser.
The length of the period P can be selected based on the type of
application and in most instances a period P of less than an hour
is preferred. This system 10 is also well suited for use with the
flow adjustable cartridge or dispenser 20 shown in FIG. 1. When the
controller 13 is used with a flow adjustable cartridge dispenser 20
one first selects the flow area of ports 20a in the dispenser
cartridge 20. One then selects the period P and the times t.sub.1
and t.sub.0 to deliver the proper amount of dispensable material to
the body of water. The use of a controller 13 with a flow
adjustable cartridge 20 provides two benefits, the first is that
one can obtain a wider range of flow conditions through the
cartridge 20 and the second is that one can obtain more precise
incremental control of the flow rate through the cartridge 20 since
the port size through the cartridge 20 can be changed even though
the time the valve 17 is in the open condition and the time the
valve is in the closed condition remains the same. In addition, one
can change the output of a dispensing cartridge 20 without having
to remove the dispenser cartridge 20 to adjust the port size. That
is, the amount of dispensable material dispensed into the body of
water can be increased by increasing the percentage of on time
t.sub.1 while correspondingly decreasing the remaining off time
t.sub.0 or vice versa. Also one can change the amount of
dispensable material delivered to the body of water over a given
period of time by changing the time of the flow through the
dispenser, that is by shortening or lengthening the period P.
While the invention is suitable for use with systems that have a
pump running continually, such as found in spa systems where the
pump directs water over a heater, the system can also be used with
other systems having a range of pump run times.
Although the system functions effectively based solely on elapsed
time, if desired, one can introduce an override or boost function
into the system. FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 show the controller with
controls 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d. Control 13a is a "boost" which can
be used to override the valve close signal and keep the valve open
for a longer time and therefore deliver more dispensable material
to the body of water. That is, controller 10 can include a manual
override 13a for overriding the controller cycle system that
periodically changes the flow rate from flow rate Q.sub.1 to flow
rate Q.sub.0. That is, the increase in delivery of more dispensable
material can be obtained by maintaining the flow condition Q.sub.1
while suppressing or preventing the second condition of no flow
(flow rate Q.sub.0) from occurring.
Another control 13b can be set to activate a different timed flow
cycle based on a non-water characteristic of the water such as
activity in the body of water. For example, the controller 13 can
be set to monitor the operating time of the jet pump 35 that
directs water into and around persons in a body of water such as a
spa or the like. Since the length of time the jet pump operates is
an indication of human activity in the tub and therefore an
indication of increased bacteria levels in the tub one can use the
jet pump operating time to automatically initiate a clean up cycle.
That is, in response to a jet pump operating time exceeding a
preset time the repeated cycling of the valve 17 can be overridden
to allow water to continually flow through the dispensable material
for an extended period of time to thereby bring the level of
sanitizer or disinfectant up to the proper level. As a consequence
the level of dispensable material released into the body of water
is boosted for a period of time because the system has sensed the
jet pump has been operating for an extended period of time. Once
the boost cycle is completed the controller 13 reverts to the
repeated cycling to maintain the level of dispensable materials at
the proper level. Similarly, control 13c can be used to increase or
decrease the length of the period P of the cycle and control 13d
can be used to change the length of the on time t and the off time
t.sub.0 of the cycle. Thus the operator can, if desired, change the
flow conditions and hence the amount of dispensable materials
delivered to the body of water over a period of time by temporarily
changing either the period P, the percentage of on time t.sub.1 in
a cycle or by simply overriding the cycle for a selected period of
time. Thus, the system can include the step of monitoring a
non-water characteristic such as monitoring an operational time of
a jet pump and temporarily overriding the dispensing cycle to
direct more flow through the dispensable material in response to
the operational time of the jet pump.
Preferably, the cyclic controller 13 is set to have a cycle length
of less than a day and generally less than an hour. For example,
the cycle length can be set for forty minutes, which means the on
off cycle will be repeated every forty minutes. Thus in a 24 hour
day the cycle will occur 36 times. The duration of the on off cycle
is fractionally selected. For example, during the cycle length P of
forty minutes one can select solenoid valve 17 to be closed 35% (14
minutes) of the cycle length causing the valve to be open during
65% (26 minutes) of the cycle length. In the closed condition water
is prevented from flowing through the dispenser 19 and in the open
condition water is allowed to flow through the dispenser 19.
In contrast a system wherein the water is normally continually
circulated through a dispenser the flow of water through the
dispenser 19 therein is periodically interrupted by the cyclic
opening and closing of the solenoid valve 17.
A further advantage of the present inventions is that it can be
used with a dispenser cartridge that is flow adjustable to provide
better control of the delivery rate of dispensing material. That
is, the size and/or the number of open ports in the dispenser
cartridge can be selected and fixed while the percentage of on time
during a cycle is changed to thereby change the delivery rate of a
dispensable material from the dispensing cartridge. By combining
the selection of the size of the flow area through the dispenser
cartridge with the amount of flow time through the dispenser
cartridge one can more precisely control the dispensing of
dispensable material into the body of water.
An example of such a dispenser where the flow area can be changed
is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,540 and is herby incorporated by
reference.
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a controller 13 connected to
various components of the spa 50. In the embodiment shown the
controller 13 sends a signal through line 51 to open and close the
solenoid valve 17. A pump 35 directs water into the valve 17 and
through the dispenser 36 and into line 39 into the spa when the
system is in the "on portion" of the cycle. When the system is on
the "closed portion" of the cycle the water is delivered through
line 38 back into spa 12 without flowing through the dispenser
36.
Located separate from circulation system for the control valve 17
is a jet pump 42 that is operated by a jet switch 41. That is when
a person in the spa wants to direct a jet of water at himself or
herself the jet switch 41 is activated which starts pump 42 which
draws water through line 43. Pump 42 then directs the water in the
form of a water jet back into the spa 50 through line 44. In this
embodiment an amp hour meter or other type of monitor 40 can be
used to measure the pump run time i.e. the length of time the pump
42 is in operation. The monitor or sensor 40 thorough line 48 sends
the information on run time for pump 42 to controller 13, which
compares the run time to a preset run time. If the run time exceeds
the preset run time the controller 13 sends a signal to valve 17 to
override the regular cycle and keep the valve 17 open for a longer
time. For example, water can be allowed to flow through the
dispenser 36 for 3 hours without any on off cycling of water
through the dispenser 36. This continuous flow of water through the
dispenser would allow the body of water to catch up to the need for
increased dispensable material.
FIG. 4 is diagram of a control system 70 with a control module
comprising a stand-alone display 71 and a solenoid valve 72 that
opens and closes a pipeline 73 from a dispenser 74 containing a
dispensable material comprising a water characteristic affecting
material such as a dispensable sanitizing material. Typically,
dispensable sanitizing materials include such materials as
chlorine, bromine, minerals, metals or the like that can sanitize a
body of water by killing harmful organisms in the body of water. In
operation, water, usually from a pump, is normally supplied to an
inlet 74a of dispenser, 74. When valve 72 is in an open condition
the water flows through the dispenser 74 thereby dispensing the
dispensable material therein into the pipeline 76 that carries the
water and the dispensable material to the body of water to adjust
or affect the water characteristics of the body of water. In the
embodiments shown a separate power source 77 supplies power to
cyclic control 78 through electrical lead 79. Control 78 comprises
a conventional pulse width modulation circuit therein wherein the
width of the duty cycle of the output signal is varied to control
the on or open time of valve 72.
The system 70 is capable of cyclical control of a water
characteristic or water characteristics of a body of water, for
example, a water characteristic such as the pH or the sanitizer
level can be maintained or controlled with or without feedback of
the water characteristic from the body of water. That is, on going
measurement of the water characteristics of the body of water and
then automatically updating the dispensing rate of a water
characteristic material through continuous or intermittent feedback
are unnecessary to maintain or control a water characteristic or
water characteristic of body of water. The cyclic control 78 can be
responsive, i.e. set by either a stand-alone display 71 or a spa
display. The cyclic control 78 repeatedly generates a cyclic output
signal having a first signal and a second signal with the first
signal different than the second signal. FIG. 2 illustrates a
typical signal wherein the pulse width is modulated to interrupt
the dispensing of a water characteristic affecting material.
In the embodiment of FIG. 4 the stand alone display 71 includes a
visual numerical display 80, a boost control 85, a check control 86
function such as check sanitizer, a change control feature which
reminds a user to change minerals or sanitizers with a select
button 84 for selecting of any of the above features. Once a
feature is selected one activates the control feature by pushing
activate button 83. In the embodiment shown the numerical display
80 displays the percentage of time the water flows through the
system for every cycle. For example, the displayed numerical 14
indicates a 14% duty cycle. That is, the system is on 14% of the
period P which means that with system 70 water flows through
dispenser 74 14% of the time of each cycle, The display 71 further
includes a plus switch that allows one to increase the percentage
of time water flows through the dispenser 74 for every cycle and a
minus switch where one can decrease the percentage of time that
water flows through the dispenser 74 for every cycle. For example,
if one wanted to increase the percentage of time to a 25% duty
cycle one would push button 81 until the display shows 25. The
control 78 would then have a 25% on time for each cycle. Thus,
through a process of manual setting the percentage of on time (duty
cycle) of control 78 one can increase or decrease the amount of
dispensable material released into the body of water.
In operation system 70 includes an electrically operated valve 72,
such as a solenoid valve, that is responsive to the first signal,
which can open the valve, and the second signal, which can close
the valve, to thereby dispense a water characteristic affecting
material into a body of water in response to the relation of the on
time of the first signal and the off time of the second signal to
thereby either maintain or change the water characteristic of the
body of water.
Thus system 70 comprise a water characteristic control system that
can be operated independent of operator controls on a body of water
with the control of the dispensing in the body of water
determinable by controlling the percentage of on time in a duty
cycle of a pulse width modulated signal.
System 70 as shown in FIG. 4 is useable as an after market system
that can be quickly added to an existing system by merely splicing
the line 76 with dispenser 74 into a circulating fluid line in a
body of water.
Thus the system 70 includes the method of maintaining a water
characteristic in a body of water, such as a spa, over a period of
time by dispensing a water characteristic affecting material 18
into the body of water 12; and regularly interrupting the
dispensing of the water characteristic affecting material 18 into
the body of water during the period of time to thereby maintain the
water characteristic of the body of water by limiting when an
amount of the water characteristic affecting material is dispensed
into the body of water during the period of time. Additionally, if
desired one can suspending the step of regularly interrupting the
dispensing of the water characteristic affecting material to
accommodate extra use of the spa.
FIG. 5 is a top view of a spa 90 partially in section revealing the
water characteristic control 78 with a control module comprising
display 91 integrated with the display and control panel 92 of the
spa 90. In this embodiment the manual controls 81, 82, 83, 84 85,
86, 87, as shown in FIG. 4, have been integrated into the control
panel 92 thereby providing a single location for the spa controls
as well as the water characteristic controls. While all the
controls of system 71 can be integrated if desired more or less
controls could be integrated into display 71. While the system is
shown with spa controls it is envisioned that other types of fluid
systems requiring control of the fluid characteristic of the system
can also be used with the system of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a control system with a the control module
71 comprising a stand-alone display and a valve 72 that opens and
closes a pipeline 96 from a source of a water characteristic
affecting material that can be added to the body of water to change
the water characteristic of the body of water. The dispenser 95 can
carry a water-characteristic affecting material such as a pH
adjusting material that is periodically released through pipeline
96 when the valve 72 is in an open condition. In this embodiment
the water characteristic affecting material is released directly
into the fluid line without having water flow through a water
characteristic affecting material in the dispenser 95. Thus a
further feature of the invention is a control system that is
responsive to either a stand alone display or to a control display
such as a spa display control where the control of the dispensing
of the water characteristic affecting material is integrated with
the control display for a body of contained water.
Thus FIG. 4 shows a system 70 for cyclical control of a water
characteristic in a body of water with or without feedback
comprising a cyclic controller 78 responsive to controls on either
a stand alone display 71 or controls on a spa display 92, a cyclic
control 78 repeatedly generating a cyclic output signal having a
first signal and a second signal with the first signal different
than the second signal and a valve 72 responsive to the first
signal and the second signal to periodically open to dispense a
water characteristic affecting material into a body of water in
response to the on time of the cycle to thereby either maintain or
change the water characteristic of the body of water.
Thus, the systems of the present invention provides low cost easy
to use systems that are consumer friendly and can be used in an in
home spa or swimming pool or the like and in one embodiment
includes a system for cyclical time control of a water
characteristic affecting material comprising a dispensable material
deliverable to a body of water; a valve 17, 72 having a first valve
open condition and a second condition; and a controller 13
repeatedly generating a control signal with a fixed time period P
with a portion "t" of the fixed time period P comprising a valve
open signal to allow water to flow through the dispensable material
and a remaining portion "t.sub.0" of the fixed time period P
comprising a valve close signal to decrease flow through the
dispensable material during the remaining portion of the fixed time
period.
In another embodiment the invention comprises a system 10 for
cyclical control of a water characteristic without feedback
comprising: a body of water 12; a circulation line 16, 21 to and
from the body of water; a dispenser 19 located in the circulation
line; a dispensable material located in the dispenser 19; a pump 15
for directing water into the circulation line; a valve 17 having an
open condition to allow water to flow through the circulation line
and a closed condition to prevent water from flowing through the
circulation line; and a controller 13 that repeatedly generates a
signal having a fixed time period P with a portion "t" of the fixed
time period comprising a valve open signal to open the valve 17 to
allow water to flow through the dispenser and a remaining portion
"t.sub.0" of the fixed time period P comprising a valve close
signal to close the valve 17 to prevent water from flowing through
the dispenser 20 to thereby periodically limit the dispensing of
the dispensable material into the body of water. A further aspect
of the invention is the method of maintaining a water
characteristic in a body of water over a period of time by
dispensing a water characteristic affecting material into the body
of water and regularly interrupting the dispensing of the water
characteristic affecting material into the body of water during the
period of time to thereby maintain the water characteristic of the
body of water by limiting when an amount of the water
characteristic affecting material is dispensed into the body of
water during the period of time.
It is apparent that with the invention described herein one can
provide a cyclical method of day-to-day controlling a
characteristic of a body of water. In addition, when the controls
are integrated into the spa control pad as described herein the
consumer needs only one control pad to control the spa functions as
well as the water characteristics of the water in the spa. While
examples of water characteristic affecting material have been
described herein it is understood that the invention can be used
with other materials that are dispensable.
While the invention herein has been described in cyclical control
of recreational bodies of water the system is also suitable for use
in other systems, for example jetted bathtubs, foot baths for
pedicures and for sanitation of water in recreational vehicles
including yachts, boats and the like.
FIG. 7 illustrates a dual mode spa control system 99 with a
stand-alone control module 100 and a RF or wireless remote control
module 110. The control system 99 includes a control unit 78 that
can receive signals from either of the control modules 100 or 110
and can generate a signal to open and close a valve 72 in response
to a signal from either control module 100 or remote control module
110. Remote control module 110 is wireless while control module 100
can either be either hard-wired or wireless. A control signal from
either module can open and close a pipeline 96 from a source of a
water characteristic affecting material in dispenser 95 thus
allowing more or less water characteristics affecting material to
be added to the body of water in the spa to change the water
characteristic of the body of water in the spa. For example, the
dispenser 95 can carry a water-characteristic affecting material
such as a sanitizer or minerals that are periodically released
through pipeline 96 when the valve 72 is in an open condition. In
the example shown in FIG. 7 the water characteristic affecting
material in dispenser 95 is released directly into the fluid line
97 without having water flow through the water characteristic
affecting material in dispenser 95. Other methods of releasing
water characteristic affecting materials into the spa may be used,
for example, directing water through the water characteristics
affecting material in the dispenser. Control module 100 and control
module 110 are shown with identical or substantially identical
display faces so that either control module can be controlled and
operated in the same manner. While control modules are shown with
the same or identical display faces in some instance one may want
to have control modules with different display faces.
In the system of FIG. 7 the first control module 100, which is
mounted on or at the spa and preferable as part of the spa display,
includes a viewing screen 101, a + button 102 for increasing a
signal and a - button 103 for decreasing a signal with the buttons
positioned left of viewing screen 101. A set of visual indicators,
such as led lights, 105, 106 and 107 are positioned to the right of
viewing screen 101 with each of the led lights representing
different modes. For example, led light 105 represents a "boost"
mode led light 106 represents "change sanitizer" mode, and led
light 107 represents "change mineral" mode. In the mode shown, a
"change mineral" signal could be used to change the on time of the
dispensing cycle. The "boost" mode may be used to change the water
characteristics by temporarily overriding the dispensing cycle.
Likewise in the "change sanitizer" mode information is provided to
the user on the time left before the sanitizer minerals need
replenishing. While 3 separate items of information are viewable on
screen 101 more or less items of information could be viewed or
controlled with either or both of the control modules. Also other
features that do not necessarily relate to the spa may be desired
to included in either or both control module 100 and 110.
In operating of the control module 100, which is mounted as part of
the display system on the spa, the amount of percentage of on time
of the duty cycle can be increased or decrease by use of the + 102
button and the - buttons 103. FIG. 7 shows the on time of the duty
cycle illustrated in FIG. 2 is 25%. For example, in the increase
mineral mode (led 107 illuminated) shown in FIG. 7, to increase the
percentage of on time of the duty cycle one would push on + button
102 and to decrease the percentage of on time on the duty cycle one
would push on the - button 103. Thus with control module 100 one
can increase or decrease the on time of the duty cycle.
FIG. 7 shows a second control module 110 which has a viewing face
that is identical or substantially identical to the viewing face of
control module 100. Control module 100 communicates directly with
control 78 and control module 110 is wireless and communicates with
control 78 through radio frequencies. That is control module 110
comprises a transceiver that can both transmit and receive
information from the control unit 78. A feature of the dual control
module system shown in FIG. 7 is that the various spa features can
either be controlled either at the spa or can be remotely
controlled through the hand held control module 110.
The control modules are preferable linked to each other so that a
change of the display 101 on one of the modules is also reflected
in a change of the display 101 on the other module. However, if
desired one may want to delink the control modules or inactive one
or the other. For example, one may want to deactivate the spa
control module 100 to if the persons in the spa are not familiar
with the controls and could accidentally change settings to an
improper setting.
To illustrate how three different items of information can be
monitored and controlled by the system 99 reference should be made
to FIG. 8, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 which show the control module 101 in
three different modes. FIG. 8 shows the control module in the mode
for changing the amount of minerals that are dispensed, that is the
"change mineral" light 107 is on the on position. The setting shown
is 25 percent as indicated on viewing screen 104. The percent,
which is percentage of on time during the duty cycle, can be
increased or decreased by using the + button 102 to increase the
percentage of on time and the - button 103 to decrease the
percentage of on time. Once the percentage is selected one may
toggle to another mode and another screen by pushing on the button
104.
FIG. 9 shows the identical control module 110 when the mode and
screen is changed to the "boost" mode as indicated by the
illumination of led 105. To arrive at the screen that shows the
boost one can merely push on the button 104 until the boost light
is on. The viewing screen 101 then shows that a boost will occur
for 30 minutes. If desired the boost time could be increased or
decreased by using the + button 102 and the - button 103. Once the
length of the boost mode is selected one can toggle to another mode
and another screen by pushing on button 104.
FIG. 10 shows the control module 110 in the information mode or
"change sanitizer" mode where the length of time before changing
the sanitizer is shown on screen 101. In the example shown screen
101 indicates that the sanitizer needs to be changed in 4
weeks.
As viewed in FIG. 7 the on/off time of the system 99 can be
controlled by a control module 100 at or incorporated as part of
the spa display or the system can be controlled or monitored remote
from the spa through a remote control module 110. In the example
shown the viewing face of the controls on the control module on the
spa display and the viewing face of the control module 110 which is
remote from the spa are identical to avoid confusion; however, if
desired the display faces may include differences.
Thus a further feature of the invention is a control system that is
responsive to either a single control module, or two or more
control modules with the system controllable from either the spa or
proximate to the spa or both. While the system is shown in
conjunction with a spa system it is envisioned that others may use
the control system in other systems that control recreation or
drinking water.
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